Worldcoin to resume operations in Kenya as authorities drop probe

Worldcoin (WLD), the crypto AI related project co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, is set to resume operations in Kenya after authorities ended their investigation into the project’s operations.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that Kenyan police had suspended an investigation against Worldcoin. That probe began in August 2023 when Kenyan authorities alleged Worldcoin’s launch in the country had included illegal collection of users’ personal data.

More developments had followed these investigations, with Worldcoin officials reportedly arrested and later released when they landed in the country.

Kenya police end Worldcoin probe

According to police documents, the probe into the Worldcoin protocol as related to privacy concerns raised in August last year have ended.

This means that the crypto project, which software and hardware development firm Tools for Humanity is helping to build, is likely to officially resume its operations in Kenya.

Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions reportedly closed the file earlier this month, with police informing Worldcoin legal representative, the law firm Coulson Harney, that there will be no further action.

Thomas Scott, chief legal officer at Tools for Humanity said in a statement on Thursday that the crypto project will restart its operations in the East African nation soon.

However, the project still faces legal challenges in countries such as France, Spain and Portugal.

Worldcoin’s mission

The Worldcoin team notes in the project’s whitepaper that its mission is to create “a globally-inclusive identity and financial network, owned by the majority of humanity.”

Initial success has seen signs rise to over 5.7 million users across over 160 countries.

Worldcoin describes in its whitepaper:

If successful, Worldcoin could considerably increase economic opportunity, scale a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes, and show a potential path to AI-funded UBI.

Worldcoins’s ecosystem comprises World ID, a privacy-preserving digital identity platform; WLD, a digital currency and World App, a self-custodial wallet by Tools for Humanity that leverages WLD to help people easily verify their Proof of Personhood.

Worldcoin token price

Interest in Worldcoin is growing as more users eye the WLD token, offered in many countries to those who join the project by scanning irises to get a digital ID.

Currently, WLD ranks as the 105^th largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of $768 million.

WLD price rose recently as Worldcoin announced its Secure Multi-Party Computation (SMPC) system, designed to enhance privacy and security of users’ biometric data.

According to data from CoinGecko, the token’s price is $3.15 today (around 7 am ET), up 12% in the past 24 hours. So far, the highest ever price for the token is $11.74, reached in March 2024.

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